Best 2 Ways to Write Deep POV: How to Show Character Emotion - #WriteTip

Here are the Best 5 Ways to Write Deep POV and How to Show Character Emotion

Not using
the Deep POV method (show vs. tell) often creates narrative distance. This means that the reader has been
distanced, or in some cases, jolted out of the story by author intrusion.

The
more “telling” a writer does, the more distance they put between the reader and
the story, and the less involved the reader will feel to what’s
happening.

For
example, if you use a lot of filtering words, it takes you out of Deep POV
(underlined):

SHALLOW:
Shawn noticed
that the sky looked dark, and he felt a chill.

DEEP
POV: The sky
darkened and Shawn rubbed his arms against the sudden chill.

Most writers struggle with writing a captivating story. The fastest way
to improve your writing is by the use of the “Deep Point-of-View” technique,
which can transform any novel from mediocre storytelling into riveting prose.

If you
read a ton of fiction like me, you’ll notice “telling” words and phrases in
almost every published novel, some more than others, but that doesn’t mean you
should be lazy.

I realize that some “telling” words are mandatory in narrative,
but not when you are describing the character’s thoughts, emotions, or
attitudes. Those should all be shown by using the Deep POV technique. And I
think some writers get confused by the whole “show vs. tell” concept, and I
admit that it used to confuse me, too.

Here
are two quick ways to write in Deep POV (there are many):

1) To stay in close and personal (show,
don’t tell) is to do this: try to reduce as many filtering references as
you can from your writing. A few filtering “shallow” words are felt, saw,
heard, smelled, and noticed, etc. which tell the reader what the
narrator, felt or saw or heard or noticed instead of just stating it.

2)Naming the emotion is a bad
habit that writers easily fall into, which focuses the storyline on “telling”
rather than “showing.” Writers create narrative distance and author intrusion
when they deliberately or unintentionally insert shallower POV and “telling”
words into their scenes.

Examine
these two examples. The first is written in Shallow POV with too many filtering
words (underlined) and the second is revised into Deeper POV and includes a few
of the five senses.

SHALLOW:
Simone saw the zombie shamble through the doorway. She feltfrightened.
It had green drool coming from its mouth and the sight made Simone feel
sick. The bad smell coming from the zombie's body caused her to
cover her mouth and nose. She looked around for a weapon. She didn't notice
anything handy, and realized that she was about to be attacked. She
swallowed a frustrated scream.

DEEP
POV:

The zombie
shambled into the room. Toxic green saliva dripped from its mouth and she
backed up. Her heart rate tripled. A sickly putrid stench of decay rose
from the drooling brain-muncher. Simone almost gagged, pinching her nose with
one hand. Her gaze scanned the space. No guns. No real weapons. Think! Simone
blinked sweat from her eyes and held back a scream. Rushing forward, she
grabbed a baseball bat from the closet. On wobbly legs, she faced the walking
dead. Game on.

***

When a
writer doesn’t use Deep POV, it is called “telling.” Most new writers use
shallow writing, because they are not applying the Deep POV method.

To be clear, I'm not saying that shallower words should be
completely eliminated from your manuscript. That would be impossible and make
some of your prose become particularly awkward.

There are
a lot of different ways that you can apply a Deeper POV to your own writing. My
post only mentions one technique, but like I said, there are many ways to
create a Deeper POV once you learn to master this awesome editing method. Plus, writers should learn how Eliminating Filter Words and Writing in Deep POV can enhance every scene.

Want to learn more ways to dig deeper and enhance your characterization? Read this blog post that I wrote HERE

***

These
wonderfully insightful blog posts on Deeper POV might really help some of you
to gain a much better understanding on how to use this amazing method in your
own work:

I've read many blogposts and the Marcy Kennedy book on Deep POV but I can't seem to find anyone who gives me specific titles to read. I would like to read a few books written in this style since I plan to write my third book in 3rd Deep POV.

Could you give me a few specific titles? Preferably something thrillerly (not a word haha) or action packed like the Mathew Reilly books but really anything is OK as long I can feel deeply immersed in the story.

Thank you for publishing this awesome article. I've been reading for a while but I've never been compelled to leave a comment. I've bookmarked your website and shared this on my Twitter. Thanks again for a really good post!

Bonjour & Welcome

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